Posts Tagged With: Final Season

Well if you ever thought that the American Idol Producers had completely fucked up a theme night, and that there was no possible way they could pick a worse theme (see “Favorite Performance”), well you’ve lucked out because tonight, tonight is by far, the WORST theme idea in the history of theme ideas. Folks tonight, welcome to American Idols tribute to itself:

Most Performed Songs on American Idol

The most performed songs on Idol aren’t even really good songs. I have this spreadsheet of every song performed on American Idol, from the semifinals forward, for every season. I know the facts. Not only that, but performing a song that’s been performed upwards of 6 times (which I’m assuming is the cut-off number), you’re going to be compared to all those other performances. Will they be better? There’s a chance. But there’s also a really good chance that one of these performances was legendary and should’ve been retired post-performance, but instead, contestants still try to reach the unreachable. But anyway… I do like numbers and statistics, so lets look at the most performed songs (by my numbers) and see what we think folks will be singing. I’ll also note when one of those songs has been done already – because they have, unfortunately. I mean, it wouldn’t be a most performed song otherwise, would it?

Topping my charts with 8 performances were 3 jams. Can you guess?

I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing
Performed by:

Best performance – For my taste, I think I’d pick Allison Iraheta. I feel like Josh Gracins was also good but I couldn’t find a video of it and I don’t remember it well enough.

Best Peformance: Probably Jessica Sanchez? Jennifer Hudson? Vonzell? Katherine? I think I’d say anyone except Shannon and Leah. I even went back and listened again and they’re the only less than remarkable performances. I also learned from Katherine McPhee’s performance that David Foster actually wrote the song. What up Former Mr. Yolanda.

It should also be noted that of those 8 performances of When a Man Loves a Woman – 2 were bottom 2 performances and 2 were eliminating performances. But hopefully we won’t hear this song because Trent already performed it last week! And oddly enough, I could see it sending him home (if he wasn’t a white 20something male). “I Have Nothing” also had one of each (but does it really count as an elimination song if it’s in the finale? No.), and “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” didn’t have any “bottom 3” material… though some of them should’ve been.

There are also 6 songs that were performed 7 times, 12 preformed 6 times and 29 performed 5 times. I think personally, let songs become “5 timers” and once they hit that mark, don’t allow contestants the opportunity to sing them again. I mean, I realize it doesn’t matter now, but that would’ve been my rule, if it were an option. And according to one blog/website, Simon actually had a list of banned songs, which the writer agreed, was far shorter than what the list should’ve been. Then he included his list of songs that should be banned and for the record, this is basically the same list I’d make. Maybe one or two possible adjustments but this is pretty solid. Michael Slezak also has a list of 20 songs he’d ban and I’m 100% on board with it. We could probably use this list as the song list for tonight, if you ask me.

But anyway, if you want to see the full list of Most Performed Songs, check out the bottom of this blog. I will say this category also had me wondering – who do you think is the most performed artist? Well, lucky for you, I have that information for you.

I know. Calm down. It’s a lot to take in.

So, I do have to say there’s a bit of a caveat as to the Top Performed singers/bands. See, it all goes back to theme nights. See, of the Top 11 (there’s a reason I looked through 11), all but 2 had a theme night dedicated to them. And the other two are Motown artists, and we all know that Motown has been a theme 5 times. Also, it should be noted that the Top 3 performers all had at least 2 dedicated theme nights. So without further adieu, the most performed person on Idol is:

Not bad right? I don’t know who I thought it would be but I didn’t think it would be Stevie. The guy did have 2 theme nights though. Not to mention how many other themes he fits into – Motown, Soul, any decade specific theme from the 60’s forward. Probably a lot of the Billboard themes too. It doesn’t hurt that the guy has a boat load of hits. His songs have been done on the Idol stage a staggering 62 times! Isn’t that crazy? As for the other Top 11?

It’s kind of like the dirty dozen. I did almost call this post “The Mono-filled Dozen” because was it just me or did a lot of tonights crew look mono-ridden? Especially the boys!

Tonight was really interesting. It’s hard for me to compare it to last week because honestly it’s hard for me to think back to last week. I think I have stomach flu PTSD. But from what I recall there were a handful of good performances, and last night was no different. There were exactly 4 contestants that I really liked, and then one more that I hope still makes it through. I feel pretty good about that because it means that the judges can allow in those 5, and then they can still allow 2 more without me blowing a gasket. It’s a win win for everybody.

So let’s go through the contestants from tonight and I’ll try to do another “say one nice thing/one criticism” for each contestant and we’ll see how it goes.

Shelbie Z – Work Hard, Play Harder

+ I thought she was a great way to start the show because I knew she’d be really energetic and most likely, a solid performance.

– While the performance was solid, it was also somewhat forgettable. To me, it was just like every other performance she’s done to date. I just want to see her maybe connect with a song, do a song with some emotion and not just one with a good glory note at the end.

Manny Torres – Adventures of a Lifetime

+ He was one of my favorite guys going into tonight.

– Well… the minus is with myself I guess. I’ve been poo-pooing so many of the guys this season, and I think the only reason I really liked Manny was his energy and his attitude. Listening to his song tonight (and after hearing the remaining contestants), I thought he was actually one of the worst performances by a guy tonight. These things happen though. I wasn’t that attached at this point so now is probably the time to drop off this bandwagon.

Kory Wheeler – Let it Go

+ I didn’t have anything against the performance itself.

– And as for the minus…

Amelia Eisenhauser (or is it Eisenhauer? I’ve seen it both ways) – Wake Me Up

+ I learned to like this song when Majesty Rose sang it last year (two years ago? really? that was two years ago?) and I thought Amelia made it sound even better. She really picked a good time to come out with a great song! And she was one of the very few that picked a great song to sing tonight so I feel like that deserves a little bonus clap!

– I really don’t have any. I guess my only negative is that I worry that she’s competition for Jeneve, and vice versa. I hope people don’t forget about her because I feel like she’s gaining a good momentum at this point. I hope it continues!

Jenn Blosil – Sorry

+ I really really really wish I had one. And if anyone was wondering about that one person I want to go through even though they didn’t have a good performance, if you didn’t guess Jenn, you don’t know me very well.

– It was just… it was not good. It was so out of tune. Part of me wondered if she had some kind of Adele mic issue going on but I think we all know that wasn’t it.

CJ Johnson – I’ll Be.

+ He sang very well.

– That song… oh god that song. Do you know HOW MANY times that song has been performed on idol? If ever there was a time to discuss poor song choice, it was with CJ. Nothing against CJ, but seriously, everything against CJ. Know your idol history, brah. He could’ve done so well with some kind of rock song (even slowed down to an “I’ll Be” pace) but this song was terrible, and he changed nothing about it so to me, it was just a guy who’s pretty good at karaoke singing a song I’ve heard 100 times at karaoke.

Lee Jean – Runaway

+ Good song choice, and Lee is a cute kid.

– Much like Kory Wheeler… I just thought it was forgettable.

Trent Mother Fucking Harmon – What Are You Listening To?

+ What most surprised me tonight… and I know, this is shameful what with all my resistance to him getting to this point in the competition. I hate myself a little bit for even saying this… but I really liked Trent tonight!

– Just me over here hating myself for liking Trent. Hopefully it goes away. Lord knows his mono hasn’t. More negatives, this was the best performance of the night, if you ask me.

Tristan McIntosh – Good Girl

+ When compared to Gianna, who I think is her biggest competition, I thought she was stellar.

– I feel like she was really sharp at points of her performance. She didn’t really have a good amount of stage presence (though I felt I could say that about a lot of people last night) and compared to the rest of the girls in this competition, she just isn’t Top 10 material for me. Maybe in a few more years or something.

Adam Lasher – Black and Gold

+ Adding to the list of people I thought I was “so over” that I ended up really liking, is Adam. I genuinely enjoyed his performance tonight and for me he was second only to Trent.

– I did agree with Harry’s criticism of his tempo but for me it was negligible. I just hope he keeps singing songs like this (a song I don’t think I’ve ever heard).

Dalton Rapattoni – Rebel Yell

+ Dalton is one of the very few people this season who really know how to pick a song. He is so creative with his song choices and it’s something I genuinely REALLY like about him. If I had to pick a Top 7 for myself, he’d definitely be in it. And I didn’t have that feeling going into tonight.

– I’m obsessing over whether his eye color is real because the blue eyes throw me off. They don’t look natural to me – but if they are – then maybe he’s just a Cal Ripken/Frank Sinatra/Bradley Cooper type with strikingly blue eyes, yet dark features? I mean it has been known to happen.

Olivia Rox – Confident

+ I wasn’t familiar with the original song but after listening to it, I think I actually liked Olivia’s version more.

– She really doesn’t have the vocal power that Demi has and it really showed in this performance. I think had I not listened to the original song, I would’ve liked Olivia’s performance a lot more, but I can’t un-listen to it.

So, with that, I think if I had to pick a Top 07 (and boy do I wish I could do something like, I dunno… VOTE!?!?!?!? I would) I would pick:

Olivia, Amelia, Trent, Adam, Jenn (with hopes that tonight was a screw up), and probably Dalton and CJ. So many more guys than I thought I would root for, but it is what it is! Being as they only kept 2 guys last week, it’s probably appropriate that I have 4 guys that I think are worth saving this week.

And for the duets tonight, who do you think will perform with whom? We’ve got David Cook, Chris Daughtry, Constantine Maroulis, Kellie Pickler, Haley Reinhart and Jordin Sparks. That’s a lot of rock and not a lot of rockers tonight. And I pity whoever gets paired with Haley because they’re probably going to sound terrible. Here are some guesses from me, but their just wild guesses. No grounding in actual fact or reasoning…

Duets just makes me think of Gwenyth Paltrow (and Huey Lewis but that doesn’t fit with where I’m going here). And that just makes me think they should’ve done some kind of Sliding Door situation, instead of Duets. I don’t know how that would work but I think it would be great. For me the duets were a bit on the lackluster side over all. I liked the concept and as soon as Lauren and Emily started singing it made me think about how this is a pretty interesting challenge. You’re singing with people who were the best of their season. You’re at this point only in the Top 24 of your season. It’ll be interesting to see how people compare to the top contestants. Maybe the Top 24 are as good as these guys. I mean they’re saying that there’s more talent in this season than ever before!

Sure they say that every season but this season it actually has some credibility just because everyone who was sitting on the fence as to whether they’d audition, got off their asses and did it. Or so they’d like us to believe 🙂

Emily Brooke and Lauren Alaina Flat on the Ground by Carrie Underwood

Emily loves a sheer overlay. Lauren definitely stood out far more than Emily, which I have a feeling could happen a lot with these first 24 duets. I mean, Ryan said it – these are seasoned performers at this point, even if none of them are really all that famous yet. As for Emily, I just think it was a good pick for her if she wanted to hide her voice, and glob on to Lauren’s voice. All this performance made me do was miss Lauren as a contestant. She was great for the show.

Thomas Stringfellow and Nick Fradiani Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson

Weird combo. I mean, I’m sure Thomas was hoping for Alex Preston. That’d be too matchy matchy. I do feel like Thomas was looking at Nick like, oh my god that guy is so hot. No? Was that just me?

As for this performance, I just wish Nick was singing the whole time so I didn’t have to hear that hiccup. It was back in full effect tonight. I didn’t really love either of them singing this though. It seemed a little choppy and rushed.

Also Harry, stop praising that Creep performance.

Stephaney Negrete and Ruben StuddardSuperstar by The Carpenters

Rueben hit the nail on the head with what Stephaney was lacking from yesterday. She’s lacking that ability to let go and be free on stage. She’s got the voice and energy, she just needs to relax and petit all out. Is he teaching now? I didn’t realize they were billing her as a Pia Toscano type.

I was only going to be happy if they sang a song for Beauty and the Beast. I mean they said they were doing something theatrical. I love seeing how naive Sonika is but truthfully it’s only going to hurt her this season. I just think I would’ve liked it more if Caleb wasn’t singing (and for the record this was the only performance where I thought that). I do think that he helped her get out of her comfort zone… a little.

Jenna Renae and Scotty McCreerySee You Tonight by Scotty McCreery

Jenna just seemed like a fan that happened to be able to sing, that Scotty pulled up on stage. Also there are very few women that I think look better in a fedora, but I really like that look for Jenna. Her not wearing one made me really take notice and wish she was. That feels like a backhanded compliment but it isn’t meant to be.

La’Porsha Renae and FantasiaSummertime by George Gershwin for Porgy and Bess

This required a double gif for me to explain my emotions about this performance. It was great. Is it possible La’Porsha is even better with a duet partner? I mean they were really flawless, I have to say. It was the highlight of the show, and I don’t usually feel that way about Fantasia, but as a duet, I liked it!

Also, their height difference in the practice round was amazing. I’m kind of dying to know what their actual heights are. I didn’t think Fantasia was that tall. Also, I LOVED Fantasia’s shoes! I tweeted her to see what they were but alas, no response.

Mackenzie Bourg and Lauren Alaina I Hope You Dance by Leanne Womack

“I was hoping I’d be taller than you” – so cute. Adorable. He really is. And you know Lauren is a huge flirt. God love her. Excellent song choice for them and I think showing that he can compete with Thomas for the ladies, was a really good move for Mackenzie. Mackenzie > Thomas. For serious.

Gianna Isabella and Nick FradianiA Beautiful Life by Nick Fradiani

This reminded me of the end of a tv show graduation. And Gianna looked like she was the freshman standing next to senior Nick. She looked SO young. I think the keds were a bad idea. Heels would’ve helped age her up a little bit. She’s so goofy and cute but it does read so young.

I will say that JLo has a tell. And I could tell she’s already mentally voted Gianna off the show. “I’ve gotten rejections from so many other auditions” – hey Gianna, maybe don’t say that.

Avalon Young and Ruben Studdard Flying Without Wings by Ruben Studdard

I stand by my belief that Rubens victory song was one of the worst in the series. That said, they did a really good job. It was a little boring, I mean we’re at the 1.5 hour mark at this point, I needed something a little more upbeat – thought seeing the pairing I was pretty sure it’d be a smoother song. They were still really good. I didn’t really expect Avalon to go that way musically but it was a nice divergence.

James VIII and Caleb Johnson Give Me Shelter by The Rolling Stones

James was a really good guitar player next to Caleb singing the Stones. Maybe he should just leave the show and tour with Caleb? I think that’s a good idea. Do that Mr. VIIIth.

Jeneve Rose Mitchell and Scotty McCreeryGone by Montgomery Gentry

That was very country.

Jordan Sasser and Fantasia I Believe by Fantasia Barrino

Um… you know, we all know my feelings on Jordan.

And then FINALLY we got to who would stay and who would go! And I was actually really happy with who stayed. Sure, I wish Emily could’ve been a little better, but I think she earned her position. And I think that if there were an 8th person picked, it would’ve been her. I also really thought they’d keep Stephaney over Gianna. That was a bit of a shocker to me. And while originally I liked Gianna more, I think Stephaney would’ve been the better add.

I mean, they are “ours” even though we haven’t begun the voting yet. Honestly I’m about 80% happy with the top 24, now that we know who they are – though I have to say I think I only really knew about 6 of the contestants we saw get the boot and of the 6 I was really only even remotely upset about one of them.

I mean come on, was Jessica Cabral really not connecting so you just kick her off the show? No performance or anything?

How are we know since you didn’t feel like showing her performance, just telling us. How’s that for not connecting with your audience? I realize there were a lot of good females this season, but for me it just makes me think – do we really need an even number of guys and girls? Does that help anyone? Are the guys the ones that get the ratings? What is the rationale? This is the only point in the contest where you pick a certain number per gender. I just don’t get it.

Also, welcome to my new favorite gif. I say this all the time, thanks to a lady I encountered at a grocery store. I had no idea it was also in a movie. But I like it.

Anyway, let’s talk about the 12 guys and 12 girls that are our Top 24.

Jenn Blosil – The Eccentric 23 from Brooklyn, NY

Emily Brooke – The Repeat
16 year old from Wellington, FL

Amelia Eisenhauer – The Fiddler
15 year old from Nashville, TN

Gianna Isabella – The Daughter
15 year old from Jackson, NJ

Tristan McIntosh – The Crier 15 year old from Nashville, TN

Jeneve Rose Mitchell – The Off-the-Grid-er
15 year old from Crawford, CO

Stephaney Negrete – The Looker
21 year old from San Diego, CA

Jenna Renae – Who? 23 year old from Williamson, NY

La’Porsha Renae – The Mother22 year old from McComb, MS

Olivia Rox – The Jax 16 year old from Agoura Hills, CA

Sonika Vaid – The Voice
20 year old from Martha’s Vineyard, MA

Avalon Young – The Tomboy21 year old from San Diego, CA

Shelbie Z – The Country Singer
23 year old from Sumiton, AL

Looking at this list of girls, it gives me angst to think that there may only be 6 of them on the stage after this coming round. If I had to pick a top 12 I think it would be about 8 girls and 4 boys. Maybe even 9:3. I was able to bold the 6 I think should definitely make it to the Top 12. It’s a mix of wants and needs, and I know, Jeneve is not on there. Neither is the arguably best singer, Sonika. But look – I’m trying to be realistic. Jeneve was starting to falter in the last performances I saw and I worry Sonika doesn’t have the stage presence for the big show. So I made realistic cuts… but if I’m wrong, it’ll be fine with me (well, depending on the 6 or so that make it in). I will say that if I could pick 8, I’d throw in Jeneve and Sonika.

Mackenzie Bourg – The Hipster (but not as hipster as Stringfellow)23 year old from Lafayette, LA

James VIII – The Eighth
23 years old from Orinda, CA

Trent Harmon – Patient Zero
24 year old from Amory, MS

Lee Jean – The Youngun’
15 year old from Blufton, SC

CJ Johnson – The Rocker 28 year old from Memphis, TN

Adam Lasher – The Santana Relative
23 year old from Danville, CA

Dalton Rapattoni – The Green Day Boy Band-er19 years old from Dallas, TX

Jordan Sasser – The Soon-to-be-Divorcee
27 year old from Raleigh, NC

Thomas Stringfellow – The Newsie
17 year old from Bentonville, AR

Manny Torres – The Entertainer 20 year old from Flushin, MI

Kory Wheeler – The Coffee Guy/Repeat
27 year old from Nashville, TN

I couldn’t even pick 6 boys that I wanted because I just don’t want 6 boys picked. But what can I say?

I will say that I’d put money on the other 2 contestants being Trent Harmon and Thomas Stringfellow. Both of whom I’m REALLY not liking. I can’t pinpoint why I don’t like Trent, besides all the scarves and the fact that he probably infected half of the contestant pool. And Thomas Stringfellow’s weird “upseak”/hiccup thing he does at the end of each line. That hiccup thing makes me want to gouge my eyes out. Or ears, as it were.

I would comment on performance but I felt like we really didn’t see a lot and the ones we did see, were from people we see a lot of and they did about as they have been doing, so I won’t.

The other thing that really bothered me about this episode was the judges telling the contestants whether they were in or out. They kept explaining it like it wasn’t their choice. I guess I wouldn’t say it angered me, so much as confirmed that I think the producers are the ones making the picks. Not the judges. Sure they have influence, and I’m sure they each had one contestant they fought for. And for the record I think they were:

Harry – Jeneve Rose Mitchell

Jennifer – Stephaney Negrete

Keith – Actually I think he just kind of went with the flow. He just seems like that type of person. I’m guessing his favorite was also a producer favorite.

But yeah, thanks Harry, for confirming you don’t really pick who is making it onto the show. I was probably naive for thinking it was the judges. At least post-Simon.

I did do some google research because I really had no idea where the show is going from here, this final season. Maybe I wasn’t even right that the next round goes to 12? I really have no idea. Turns out it seems we’re doing a Top 14!

Thanks for the info MJ!

So, we’ll know who the Top 14 are by the end of next week! Exciting stuff 🙂 Looking forward to the upcoming nights! And I hope the Thursday’s 2 hour shows actually have contestant performances because 2 hours with only mentoring and whatnot, that’s not anything I want to see.

Tonight felt like a really great episode. Maybe it’s because I watched it late and with fast forwarding through commercials the whole episode only took me about 20-25 minutes to watch. And the contestants were really good! In fact, I have my first Chorus Line moment of the season. I hope she gets it, god I hope she gets it. She being Jenna Renae and it being a spot on the live show! There were a lot of really good contestants though, most of which I’d be happy to see move on to the Top 24 (I have to imagine at least 3 will get in from this batch, that’s my guess). And in a suprise similarity to previous episodes, my top 3 this week are again, all females!

And I do really hope that these ladies get stuff done because to be honest, I’m partial to a female winning the final season. It’s only right to bookend it with another Kelly. Or Carrie. Or even Fantasia. So anyway, lets talk about my Top 3 of the night, and then mention a few others:

Jenna Renae – 23 years old from Williamson, NYSong: She Don’t Love You

Jenna was just wonderful. Her singing just completely drew me in. I also liked the note about how her parents used to listen to show tunes with her. It’s always a solid start to a musical background, no? I think it is as long as you aren’t too theatrical, which she definitely wasn’t. She was just the right amount of attention grabbing in a very good way. On the whole,

My second 2 are a tie. I really don’t know who I like better.

Emily Brooke – 16 year old from Wellington, FLSong: Careless

Emily was great. I didn’t recognize her face but I did recognize her name and then when they flashed back to her audition last year I realized who she was. It’s amazing how different someone can look in just a year! Then, like I did with John Wayne from last episode, I re-listened to what I could find of her from last season and I have to say, you’ve come a long way (in a year) baby! Although her voice is just as good, she just seems more composed and more ready to take on the season. She’s still young, don’t get me wrong, but I do think there’s a big difference from a just barely 15 to an almost 17.

Amelia Eisenhauer – 15 year old from Nashville, TNSong: Many Rivers to Cross

So the reason for my tie between Em and Am, is that Em has kind of already had her chance, while I think Am might be a little too young to get her first chance, as she is only 15 at of this moment. Well, as of the moment this was taped. She could be 18 by now for all I know. Either way though, she had an aggressiveness about her audition that really drew me to her. She seemed very… commanding. Which I think is rare for a young performer. It’s one of the reasons you don’t want a 15 year old on stage, but since she lacks that problem, I’m fine with moving her into my Top 3 position.

As for honorable mentions the only thing I can say is that I really liked Mackenzie Bourg‘s medley. I didn’t really like him, because to me he was just 1,800 other auditions I’ve seen. He didn’t really stand out to me beyond the excellent compilation of songs, which I still support him doing, just maybe not being the one who sings them. He was also kind of a whisperer, which I found very odd.

Some final thoughts:

Ugh Clay Aiken – who knew you’d be on so much of the final season after all that hate you spewed about the show that made you a D-Lister… Was Aiken really the best that Idol could get for that job? I just feel like there are so many better options. But I guess the better people are busy with their better things. So I guess it makes sense. But to try and be Simon with that half-shirted guy? I mean come on. You are not, nor will you ever be, Simon Cowell.

If I were handing out awards for make-overs, Adam Lasher would not be on my list. How did you go from cool rocker to looking like a crooner from the 30’s? It may be someones look, but it’s not mine. I say stick with the Santana vibe, personally (but again I go back to Brenda K. Starr’s offspring – if you have a famous parent/relative, why are you coming to Idol in the first place? I mean playing the nepotism card works pretty often.

Finally, of all the “tough decisions” the judges have had to make this season, none of which they’ve really even argued about – did you really have to use the blind guy are your example of good people who aren’t “good enough” when you keep every 15 year old who walks through the door? Mario, I think you were robbed! Sure you might not have made it to the live show, but you had more of a chance than a solid quarter of what I’ve seen go through. And while I would be angry and need justification, I then remembered – didn’t this guy try out for The Glee Project? I feel like he was eliminated early from that too… so if Ryan Murphy didn’t think he’d succeed in that space, I’m ok with Idol not taking him.

And with that, we move on to tomorrow where we’ll have the LAST audition episode EVER for Idol. I wanted to make a bunch of “penultimate” references on here, because it’s a word I love, but Slezak used it in his headline and I didn’t wanna look like I was copying – so I’ll just say that I hope Slezak and I are just similarly minded. I mean, we definitely are. He just hasn’t noticed me yet… haha